Can a meteor make hundreds of people sick? Yes , it certainly can. How?
By making such a huge impact on certain sooils, meteors can trigger arsenic into the air, causing arsenic poisoning to those who go near.
Has this ever happened? Yes, it has. Themost recent of which is the one near Lake Titicaca is Southern Peru that made up to 600 people sick with arsenic. Check out this website for more info.